What's in a Name?
by KeepSmiling1
Summary: Maximus Donovan Stone has always known what he wanted to do in his life. Protecting children has always been the plan, the goal. When life throws a curve-ball into those plans, will he continue to be a protector? What role do his father and brother play in who Maximus will become? Origin story for Fenrir Greyback written for the Houses Competition Forum.


A/N House/Team: Badgers. Class Subject: Charms. Story Category: Standard. Prompt:[Character] Fenrir Greyback. Word Count: 2500 AN2 Maximus Donovan= Greatest Dark Warrior; Finn = Fair/White; Fenrir = monstrous wolf of Norse legend; Possible origin story/how Fenrir Greyback got his name; OCs; Multiple deaths; somewhat graphic with off-screen child abuse

Maximus Donovan Stone always knew that he was meant to be a great warrior. It was foretold by his name, and for as long as he could remember, his father had talked about him following in his footsteps and becoming a great auror to protect the innocent. Of course, destiny to a child is a fanciful thing taken for granted and ignored until something makes their so-called destiny real. For Maximus, that day came when he was twelve-years-old and first held his beautiful baby brother for the first time. Finn's blond hair and delicate features contrasted greatly with Maximus' strong frame and dark coloring. The contrast seemed to call to the elder..._protect, protect, protect._ When Maximus returned to Hogwarts that night, he knew that his purpose would be to protect the children.

While Maximus got into his fair share of scrapes at Hogwarts, it was always in defence of a younger student, and ultimately, his will to do what was right combined with his exceptional grades contributed to his being made the Head Boy in his final year. The pride on his father's face and the ecstatic hug provided by his little brother served to help him create the only corporal patronus of his year-mates. During his valedictorian speech in 1960, Maximus referenced the fifteenth anniversary of Grindelwald's defeat and called all of his peers into the protection and service of those who would follow. "We who have completed our educations and gone through our magical inheritance have the duty and privilege to watch out for those who come after ourselves through whatever means is at our disposal. Together, we can create a world in which the likes of Grindelwald have no foothold!"

That mentality would see Maximus through the many grueling hours of first-year auror training, and his resolve to protect the innocent would only be strengthened the first time he saw the corpse of a seven-year-old squib who had been murdered by her family. Again and again, the young auror-to-be found himself exposed to travesties against the most innocent. Muggleborn students were at risk of attack in Diagon Alley if alone. Suspected squibs would be placed in more and more dangerous situations in a bid to get a magical response. While Maximus' resolve to become an auror remained diamond-hard, he withdrew into himself as time passed.

Ultimately, Finn was the one who brought his brother back from a dark place by requesting monthly adventures with Maximus. The boys always had a grand time - visiting sites and eating their weight in junk food. These trips with Finn held Maximus together and reminded him of the beauty in the world.

"Brother, you're here! Is it time to go? It is, isn't it? Come on, let's go!" Finn tried to pull Maximus out the door while simultaneously angling behind him for protection against their mother who held her dreaded handkerchief.

"Dear, you've got a smudge on your cheek. It will take but a moment to clean it off," she cooed at her youngest.

Maximus just laughed as he left his brother to his fate.

Mrs. Stone turned her eyes to her eldest. "You need to eat more, dear. You're losing too much weight," she fretted.

"Actually, I'm gaining muscle, Mum. We're fine," Maximus smiled. His mother's protective instincts acted as a balm for his soul almost as much as his brother did.

"Where are you boys off to this time?" She asked.

"Maximus is taking me camping!" the over-enthusiastic six-year-old exclaimed.

"Dear, are you sure that's wise? It is the full moon tonight," anxiety clearly heard in her voice.

"It's fine Mom. I've scouted the place out. Everyone in the area says that its a peaceful land that's never had a problem. Besides, I'm almost a full auror. We'll be safe."

That confidence...would prove to be the downfall of the Stone family.

"Get behind me, Finn!" Maximus shouted that night. As Finn moved, a vicious snarl erupted from the huge beast before them. The boys had awoken to the sound of their campsite being destroyed, and a year's worth of auror training meant little if one's wand was lost in the confusion and darkness of the night.

By some miracle, Finn walked away with nothing but a few scratches...physically that is. Seeing his brother mauled in front of him, would scar the boy for the rest of his short life. Maximus... very nearly didn't survive at all. A villager in the nearby town had heard the attack echoing off the trees and called the Aurors. They managed to scare the beast away, but Maximus would never be the same.

* * *

Alone. He awoke alone with an unfamiliar ceiling above his head. Sunlight poured into the room. Had he missed his alarm?! Maximus lifted his arm. Bandages? Why…? Suddenly Maximus remembered. The blood, the bite, biting, biting, scratching...his wand, where was his wand? He needed to get Finn to safety!

Trapped in the panic and memories, Maximus never noticed the healer enter and cast Stupefy. Technically protocol called for a dreamless sleep potion or talking the patient down from their panic, but you couldn't pay him enough to actually get that close to a dark creature.

Within a few days, Maximus was let out of St. Mungo's. What ailed him, they couldn't treat. Scratches and bites from a werewolf could not be healed by magical means, and they weren't the real problem anyway.

As he waited for the last marks to finish closing, Maximus tried to contact his instructor to explain why he was missing training. He wasn't terribly worried. He had top marks in the program, and a medical emergency was surely just cause for his absence. His letters returned unopened, and the only communication he received from the auror department was a reminder to register himself as a lycanthrope with the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and a letter dismissing him from the program he had spent years working towards. Surely it was a mistake. The program was broken, but he wasn't a monster. He wasn't like the creature that attacked him and Finn. Father would get it all sorted out.

His visit with his family did not go as expected. Finn wasn't allowed near him, and his mother wouldn't even enter the room. They were scared...of him? It was his father that dealt the final blow.

"Haven't you hurt and traumatized this family enough?"

"Father, it's me, Maximus. Your son. Something's wrong, the auror academy has kicked me out for missing a few days of training. People don't seem to realize that I'm the victim. They're treating me as if I was the monster that attacked Finn and me."

Auror Stone laughed bitterly. "You ARE the monster. Werewolves are monsters, and the moment you were bitten, Maximus Donovan Stone died. Of course the academy kicked you out! People call us for protection against beasts like you. You think they would want you to come to their aid? You're mad! I have ONE son, and I am duty-bound to protect him from the likes of you. Be gone with you, Beast!"

Maximus No-name ran off, Finn's cries from an upper window muted by his father's hateful words ringing in his head.

His father's prediction proved true. No one wanted help or to work alongside a werewolf no matter how innocent. Even muggles seemed to sense that he wasn't what they wanted - scars and monthly injuries did not scream employee of the year.

Eventually, No-name came across others of his kind. What he saw was eye-opening. They weren't monsters. On the contrary, lycans showed more compassion towards others, especially children, than could be seen among the wizards. Child abuse did not exist in this community, nor was there any discrimination that he could see. Bites by werewolves were actually uncommon since those with the condition would rather run in groups away from wizards than risk being attacked while the wolf was in control. New werewolves were welcomed. Children who were abandoned would be brought into the fold as soon as they could be located. Adults weren't actively sought but were welcome once they found their way home. Maximus No-name had found a home. His wish to protect children never abated, and when a young recently turned muggleborn joined them, he took the boy under his wing. The boy had come to them black-and-blue - not from the attack but from his family for having magic. It was then that Maximus found his calling. He had seen enough abuse before the bite and after to realize that the human race was twisted. Rather than leave the young ones to the abuse, would it not be better to bite as many as he could? Give them sanctuary and offer them an opportunity in a society that knew how to protect the young.

It was slow-going. Not many agreed with his plan in the beginning, and Maximus himself could only turn one or two per full moon without help. He eventually decided to leave the community, taking his few followers with him. Between them, however, they managed to bring 20 children into the fold within the first year. They had to be careful and plan well who their victims would be. If the child was too young, they would be unlikely to survive. If they were too old, they may not be willing to see reason and how this new life was to their benefit.

* * *

Finn Stone was not a happy boy. Since his brother's exile and the death of his mother, his father had become increasingly manic and addicted to firewhiskey. Finn was expected to carry on the family tradition of being a great auror when he truly just wanted to paint or have adventures exploring the world. He certainly didn't want to join the force that had kicked his brother out for saving him. That, of course, ignored that he was almost ten and hadn't expressed any accidental magic yet. He knew his father was getting impatient. Thankfully, he didn't take the actions some families did when their child was a late bloomer. Instead, they were headed to meet some healer his dad was sure could bring his magic out.

"You'll be the greatest auror of the age, Son. We just have to get your magic to show itself first. Jeremiah Rickett can help with that," Auror Stone had explained as the two walked down Nocturne Alley. Little did he know that he was actually taking his son to someone who worked with Maximus. Late bloomers were the largest at-risk group that the werewolves had access to after all.

The families who took their children to Jeremiah Rickett would find that the process could take a month or two with 3-4 private meetings with the child a week. As the children came to trust Jeremiah, he would check them for signs of abuse and the likelihood that they would transition well into life as a werewolf. He would also introduce them to an elder from Maximus' group of werewolves to make things easier once they were bitten. Then on the first full moon possible, those deemed acceptable would find themselves bitten, a new home awaiting them once their parents cast them out.

It was through this process that the two brothers became reacquainted.

"Let me get this straight. You're the big bad werewolf that has the aurors all up in arms, and you're still going by the name our parents gave you? I hope you don't expect to call me Finn after I've been changed. I want a really cool wolf name. Wasn't there a wolf creature thing in Norse mythology named Fenrir?"

Maximus just nodded. He had never imagined that he would see his brother again, nevermind have him actively want to be changed into a werewolf. Nonetheless, the plan was made. Just before the full moon, Finn would meet up with his brother at the edge of the property. It was there that the bite would be administered. Maximus did not have control of his wolf; however, the goal to turn and protect as many youth as possible was so inherent to his inner being that his wolf had never bitten a child more than once. Adults who tried to interfere, however, were another matter.

On the day of the full moon, a drunk Auror Stone came into his son's room to find him drawing pictures. The boy's interest in art was annoying, but it could be let go since Jeremiah had written to state that results should be seen within the next week or so.

"What are you drawing, Son?" Auror Stone asked to make conversation.

"Hmm? Oh just some wolves," Finn answered abstractly.

Auror Stone noticed that the wolves in question seemed to fit the description of a werewolf more than they did a normal wolf, and he angrily noted that they seemed to be drawn in an almost peaceful manner. He had met with multiple families who had recently lost children to the beasts, and seeing his son draw something that seemed almost sympathetic to them made him want to curse whoever placed the idea in his head.

"Look at me when I speak to you!" He admonished his boy. He had to get to the bottom of this immediately. Too angry to even try verbal interrogation, he used Legilimens to peek into his son's mind, and what he saw did not help his anger one bit. Finn was quite certain that he was a squib; Jeremiah had reintroduced him to Maximus, and Finn was planning on being changed in this week.

"Father, you're hurting me!" Auror Stone's anger wreaked havoc on the boy whose mind he was in. Finn imagined that his head hurt like it had been hit with a crucio. This description snapped Auror Stone out of his son's head, but it did not snap him out of his irrational fury. This boy would dare describe that as being like crucio? What did the squib know? He wanted to be a werewolf after all. He needed to be shown the folly of that idea. By the time Auror Stone came back to himself, an untold number of attacks had reigned down on his youngest. Blood painted the room, and life had left the body long before. Moonrise had nearly come when another burst into the room, drawn by the smell of blood. When Maximus saw the lifeless body of his brother, the wolf burst forth determined to get revenge. Maximus awoke that morning to two corpses, one caused by him, the other an innocent victim. As flames burnt the Stone family home to the ground, Maximus No-name died. What arose from the ashes looked similar from the outside - a werewolf biting innocent children, but Fenrir Greyback's motivations were no longer for the betterment of the children. Lycan numbers would rise like never before, children taken without regard…. Wizards would pay, and an army would form - Fenrir's Army.


End file.
